The Doe in the Moonlight
by lunalovelight
Summary: Lily befriends the Marauders after a chance encounter with a werewolf.
Midyett 23

The Doe in the Moonlight

She knew it was a silly thing to do, walking through the castle at night. As a prefect, Lily hoped she could pass it off as if she were simply on patrol duty. And hoped that anyone who might catch her did not have a copy of the patrol schedule with them. Nevertheless, she continued with her nighttime stroll. She liked the tiny rush of adrenaline she felt whenever the light from a window or torch would project shadows on the wall, which out of the corner of her eyes always looked just like Mr. Filch lurking in the corridors.

She would go on these solitary midnight adventures a couple times a year, when she found herself wide awake in her dormitory, lessons and spells racing through her mind.

Among other things.

She felt herself blush at the thought of a tall and handsome – if not haughty – Gryffindor in her year. It was not as if he really noticed her, though. Not with his parade of desperate girls vying for his attention and James' ridiculous ego taking up whatever was left.

Stupid, she mumbled to herself. She didn't have time to dwell on frivolous crushes, especially on one of those boys. She pushed the thought from her mind and focused on tonight's destination. Peering out a window facing the grounds, a full moon illuminated the gently swaying branches of a willow tree. But not just any willow tree. This one was hostile, whipping its branches at any student that passed too closely. Lily had heard the whispered inquiries about its inclusion within the Hogwarts grounds ever since it was planted six years ago. Tonight she wanted a closer look.

The doors to the grounds were locked, but this was not a surprise to Lily. She approached a nearby window, and as if she had done it a hundred times, focused her thoughts on one word- _Alohomora_ – and watched as the latch sprung open with the slightest creak.

The November night air felt pleasant on her face after the descent through the castle. Lily had never wandered through the grounds after dark before, and stumbled a few times on the cobbled pathway before illuminating her wand carefully under her cloak. With each step visible, she made her way around the lake. She kept her distance from the shore, watching the waves softly crest against the mud in the pale blue light of her wand.

After what seemed like ages, she approached the massive tree. She recalled what Severus had told her last year, obviously in one of his attempts to reconcile with her after he insulted her last summer. They sat along this very shore, Lily studying for her final O.W.L.(Arithmancy) and Severus trying once again to apologize. He vowed to give up his gang of questionable friends. He'd tell Lily all of his secrets; he got midway through explaining the trick with the tree when she cut him off.

"Do you honestly think I care about your nasty Dark secrets? Do you even know me at all?"

"But Lily no, I only meant –" but she walked away before he could further explain himself.

Even still, she reminisced a little about how things were before he messed it all up. The way he'd always brag about what he considered to be the 'immeasurable cleverness' that he possessed. The way he would try his very best to look cool, though he failed quite miserably. Lily thought back fondly on his phase of trying to emulate the Potter boy's popularity in her presence. He even tried to nonchalantly tousle his hair before Lily inquired what on earth he was doing.

But those days were over now, she firmly reminded herself. Severus succeeded in becoming much more like James, in that Lily now found them both to be utterly intolerable. However, he did gift her with the enticing bit of information on how to immobilize the tree. How he came about this information, she never got to ask. But she identified the stump that he described and, concentrating with all her might, succeeded in nonverbally projecting a rock toward it. The tree froze mid-sway. Lily swelled with pride until she realized she would not be able to tell Professor Flitwick about her successes at nonverbal incantations tonight, as she was profoundly out of bounds when she managed them.

She spotted a small hole in the massive roots, just large enough for her to crawl through on her elbows and knees. Hesitating for a moment, she recognized that it would be an incredibly stupid idea to blindly explore a dark hole at the foot of a giant violent tree that would come alive again at any second. But Lily was a Gryffindor through and through, so she shimmied herself into the dark, cold passage.

The tunnel seemed to twist and turn, leading down deeper underground. The silence was gradually replaced with a low growl, growing and falling in a pattern that resembled a whine. A pit of dread and anxiety formed in Lily's gut, but there was no turning back now. The path began to ascend. Lily identified the noise as some kind of animal, and it seemed to be injured. She could see the opening of the tunnel now, and quickened her pace until she was able to lift herself out of the ground and into a small room.

At first glance, it seemed well-kept and sparse. On closer inspection however, she could make out deep gashes in the floorboards. Following these gashes, they seemed to cover the walls. Lily had just come to the realization that a large beast must have created them when she found his eyes gazing intently at her own.

Bright green met yellow for a moment and Lily froze. She had read about werewolves in her Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, but coming face to face with one was something different entirely. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the massive chains linking the beast to a wall of stone. His fur was matted around the congealed blood underneath his steel collar. He growled deeply at Lily. She saw that he was hurt. His front leg was broken, the bone poking grotesquely out from under the skin.

"I can help you. I just need to get a few things. I will be back. I'm going to help you." She spoke to the beast in what she hoped was a calming tone. Then she backed slowly into the tunnel as the werewolf watched with his glowing yellow eyes.

She hurried back to the castle as quickly as she could without making noise. She nearly flew up the dozen or so flights of stairs before she arrived at the Fat Lady, and had to whisper the password several times before the painting woke to let her in with a disapproving grunt.

Lily returned with some ointment and medical supplies that she received from Madam Pomfrey ages ago to care for her cat after a broken leg. Hopefully this would not be much different. Lily was unsure whether or not the wolf would allow her to come close enough to dress his wounds, and knew it was beyond foolishness for her to try. She could have attempted a few of the basic healing spells she had learned, but did not know if they would work properly on a werewolf, and had never actually performed them before. Accepting that there was nothing else she could do for the creature, she slid the supplies across the floor into the wolf's reach, and left for the castle one last time.

Maybe it was only because the wolf had been on her mind that morning, but when Remus emerged from the portrait hole after breakfast to pick up his bag of school work, she immediately noticed his arm. It was in a sling. Lily walked quickly to catch up with James, Sirius, and Peter as they met their friend in the common room. She pushed her nose into a book so they would not notice her rapt attention to their conversation.

"What happened to you Moony?" James asked.

"You know I wouldn't know for sure. Sometimes things get a little.. Rough. When you guys aren't there to keep me company."

"Hey. You know we would have been there if we could. This workload is just killing us lately. We couldn't afford to skiv off a couple nights to go howl at the moon."

"I know, I know. It's okay. Pomfrey said she'd patch me up before lunch. I just needed to grab my essay for Sluggy to work on. Listen, there are some things I need to tell you about," Remus caught Lily's eyes as she forgot to pretend to be immersed in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. He pierced her green eyes with his brown, and a look of recognition passed over his face as he mumbled through the rest of his sentence.

"You know, about my furry little problem.."

Lily followed Remus as he ducked out of the portrait hole. They stood in heavy silence for a few minutes. She could imagine the wheels turning in his head as he tried to think of a lie, some valid explanation for what Lily already knew, already saw with her own eyes. She decided not to give him the opportunity.

"You're a werewolf."

"I-yes. I am. But please don't say it so loud."

"How did it happen? I mean.. Was it an accident? Or was it him?" Lily asked.

They both understood _him_ to mean Fenrir Greyback, the crazed werewolf henchman to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Rumour was that Greyback would station himself near towns and villages before a full moon in order to wreak maximum havoc and bite as many people as possible. You-Know-Who would use the threat of him to persuade people into doing his bidding or joining his cause. He was known for having a special taste for biting children. Is that what happened to Lupin?

"Yes, it was. I was four years old. My father had offended Greyback, so he had paid him back by going after his only son. I was asleep when it happened. I don't remember a thing," He added the last part hastily after catching the look of pity on Lily's face. It was different than the looks he usually received when people unearthed the truth. But his words were not entirely true. He remembered the glass shattering as Greyback's massive form forced its way into his room. He remembered screaming for his parents as the wolf bared his teeth and leaped for him, ripping a good chunk of his shoulder. The pain was unbearable and he lost himself in his screaming. He woke up in St. Mungo's two days later.

He remembered when they had to move away from their childhood home. Someone had broken into their chicken coop during one of their extended trips to some far-off healer that might be able to cure his condition. They slaughtered the chicken and left it right on their doorstep. They wrote "WOLVES NOT WELCOME HERE" on the side of their house in the chicken's blood. They packed their things that night.

The early years were hard on Remus' family. His father had trouble finding anyone willing to sell a house to him. The law required anyone who was a werewolf to declare themselves when applying for work or homeownership. Eventually they built their own house in the countryside. After that, things calmed down. The quiet farmhouse was pleasant, and nobody bothered them as much. Sometimes they would get a cursed letter or a note begging Remus' father to reconsider housing such a dangerous creature. But letters were easy to ignore.

Remus had no idea that his parents had written personally to Albus Dumbledore, inquiring whether or not he would be allowed to attend school. Dumbledore was a staunch advocate of legislation sympathetic to werewolves, vampires, centaurs, and other creatures deemed 'near human' by Wizarding law. His reply assured them that Remus still had a place at his school for as long as he was running it. But he cautioned against revealing Remus' condition to anyone, as the prejudice against his kind ran deep among Wizarding families, especially with the threat of Greyback looming overhead.

Remus prepared to explain this all to Lily, who seemed sympathetic to his cause, when the portrait swung back again. Both of them tensed as they glanced quickly to see who had interrupted their talk. Remus relaxed as his friends James, Sirius, and Peter joined them in the corridor.

"Everything alright Moony? Evans," James nodded at Lily but kept his eyes on Lupin. Lily noticed he did not carry his usual arrogance or swagger at this moment. His face was stern with what could have only been concern for his friend. For the first time, Lily could briefly recognize the admirable traits of Gryffindor in Potter. She glanced down at his hand balled into a fist around a piece of parchment. Lily could have sworn she saw the ink on the parchment move. Her curiosity was interrupted however as James and Sirius turned on her.

"Is she bothering you? What are you two doing out here anyway?"

"Relax. She knows about.. About my condition."

A shared look of shock and wariness passed over their faces.

"What? How did that happen?" Sirius asked.

"Well, you know things are still foggy to me sometimes when I change. I remember breaking free of my chains in the Shrieking Shack. I haven't used them in a while and I guess I've gotten stronger over the years. They couldn't hold me anymore."

Lily caught a curious look of shame or guilt exchanged between Black and Potter at these words.

Lupin continued, "I remember being in the forest, just running through the trees. And I think something attacked me."

"Attacked you? What on earth could attack you in there? You're nearly fully grown now. I didn't think anything could measure up to you in the Forest," James asked.

"I'm not sure really. It caught my leg in its mouth. I must have fought back so whatever it was is probably looking pretty bad right now. I must have found my way back to the Whomping Willow though, because that's where she found me," Lupin nodded toward Lily.

The three of them gaped at her with wide eyes. Sirius spoke first, "How is she-I mean.. She looks fine. How did you not eat her?" He cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"I must have been too injured to. I heal pretty fast but it must have been pretty bad. I still felt really sore this morning. I remember she did something to my paw. It felt better. I probably didn't consider her a threat."

"I stole some supplies from the Hospital Wing. Essence of Dittany."

James looked to be on the verge of complimenting her, with his usual smirk back in place. Sirius grabbed his shoulder, still tense and wary.

"Listen. You need to stay away tonight."

"Who do you think-" Lily started in an offended tone.

"Sirius is right, Evans. We aren't joking around. You need to just stay out of it. If you get involved and complicate things, you could get Remus in some serious trouble. Or hurt. You could get yourself hurt."

"You can be such a prat sometimes, Potter." Anger, embarrassment, and hurt coursed through Lily as she glared at James and Sirius before storming off to class.

Lily spent the day in a haze of distraction. Her work was not up to her usual standard, probably since she had forgotten to grab her bag from the Common Room before storming away. A cascade of rain poured steadily against the windowpane. Professor Slughorn, being his outspoken and pushy self, noticed her lack of enthusiasm as she brewed this week's potion – Invigoration Draught – while barely looking down at her opened book.

"Oh my, my. Someone isn't feeling the effects of the Invigoration Draught today! Perhaps more Peppermint sprig, Miss Evans? What is the matter? November rain blues?"

"Yes, that must be it Professor."

"Well, your potion seems to be coming along just fine! I trust your capability to brew something as simple as this. Why don't you go down to the Great Hall for a bite to eat and I'll just give you full marks and tidy up your area. Doesn't that sound good?"

"Yes, professor. Thank you very much." She attempted a radiant smile, but it probably came out looking more like a grimace. Slughorn patted her back reassuringly, and began waving his wand over her potion to siphon it into thin air.

Lily decided to take his advice and head down to the Great Hall for a late lunch. In her rush to get away from Potter and his friends, she had completely skipped breakfast. Her stomach grumbled ravenously at the smell of bacon and toast as she climbed the stairs out of the dungeon.

After piling an assortment of breakfast and lunch foods onto her plate, Lily sat down at the Gryffindor table next to the only other fifth year not in Potions class, Mary Macdonald.

"Did you skiv off Potions too, then?" The mousy haired girl asked.

"No, Sluggy just let me leave early today. Haven't been feeling well."

"Not bad! I can't believe he'd just let you go early. Did you finish your potion quickly or something?"

"No actually, I didn't finish it at all. He said he'd give me full marks because I had the potential to brew it."

"Wow. He is really serious when it comes to his favorites."

"Shut up Mary!"

"Sorry, I wouldn't want to insult the great potionness, Lily Evans! Then she shall never take me to one of Sluggy's parties! What ever shall I do?!" Mary feigned collapsing from her seat as Lily giggled at her friend's ridiculous display of humour.

A tall, good looking boy with dark blond hair had wandered over from the Ravenclaw table to listen to Mary and Lily's exchange. Taking a seat at Lily's right, he interjected, "Well it seems you'll be disappointed either way, Mary. As I've already gotten Miss Evans to agree to come with me to the next Slug Club party."

"Adrian! Aren't you already in the Slug Club though? If you'd like to bring a date who isn't already going, well… I'm available!"

"I do appreciate the offer Mary, but I've been trying to get Miss Evans here to say yes to me for ages and I've only just succeeded. I'm sure you can get someone to bring you, what with your undeniable charm."

Lily admired the way Adrian could sound so pleasant even when rejecting someone. She wasn't sure why she hadn't given him a chance before, he really was quite nice. He had been asking her out without fail every time Slughorn posted a notice for one of his parties. Until now, Lily had been regularly taking Mary to them. Mary was a little dejected about not being a part of such an elite society, as she was eager to remind Lily on a weekly basis.

With her silly infatuation with Black and her annoyance at being harassed for an invitation by various other boys, Lily had been hesitant to bring any traditional date. Adrian had convinced her to go with him by sending her an origami bird charmed to sing his request to her in a sweet melody. Lily figured that at least she knew he wasn't just interested in going with her to get into the party, as she deduced some of her other suitors were.

Lily and Mary bid farewell to Adrian and walked to their next class together, feeling more energized than they would have if they had digested some of Slughorn's Invigoration Draught.

Later that night, Lily tried to get some last minute studying in before bed. After missing half of Potions class that week, she felt the need to catch up on what they had missed and get a head start on next week's potion assignment. Slughorn may have been happy to give her a pass today for her mediocre work, but she didn't think he'd be pleased if it became a habit. After spending two or three hours in one of the plush Common Room chairs with her notes and books sprawled over a small table, Lily felt confident enough in her knowledge of the Invigoration Draught to brew a quality sample if it appeared on the O.W.L. Heading toward the Dormitory, she noticed James, Sirius, and Peter sitting alone in a corner. Sirius seemed to be doing some homework while Peter asked him dozens of questions about the assignment. James seemed to be lost in his thoughts, staring into the fireplace. This was a stark contrast from his usual demeanor. She hadn't seen him ruffling his hair or telling his obnoxious stories about himself to third years tonight. Her anger with the group of friends kept her from walking over to them and investigating, so she continued on her way up to her bed.

Her anger could not dissuade her thoughts, however, and she stayed awake long after the sound of her fellow fifth years' breathing slowed to sleep. Lily's mind was racing. Potter and his friends didn't seem to be just hanging around purposely. No. They were tense. As if they were… Waiting. Waiting for what? Sirius and James had warned her to stay away from Lupin tonight, as it was still a full moon. But of course she would stay away. Lupin was a nearly full grown werewolf. Of course she would stay away, any sane person would. She would see him again tomorrow to ask more about his life. But then, why would they go out of their way to warn her to stay out of it? Unless… It wasn't obvious to them; unless they themselves had no intention of staying away. But that would be mad. Surely even Potter would have enough sense not to hang around a werewolf on the full moon. He certainly had a high opinion of his life, would he really be so careless with it in the name of adventure?

Lily pondered this predicament for several minutes. Her fat gray tabby, Fiona, leaped up onto the bed and began to knead the blankets against Lily's stomach. She petted her absentmindedly. How on earth could they plan on being anywhere near Lupin tonight? What could they be up to? A werewolf would tear apart any human it came in contact with. How could they guarantee their safety? Lily looked down at her cat as she purred happily.

Any human…

What if they found a way to be something other than human? Werewolves typically don't go after livestock or pets unless they are desperate for food. Their primary source of prey is human. Could they? No… But there is Professor McGonagall. She is an animagus. She taught us about them last year. Transformed in front of us. They certainly could have gotten the idea for it then. There is no question that they'd be crazy enough to try it. But would they be skilled enough? That was truly the question. Potter and Black, maybe. They were usually near the top of the class in every subject. Just barely behind Lupin and herself. But Peter? Could Peter possibly be one too? No. Absolutely not. Poor Peter was sweet and loyal enough, but he was nowhere near the same caliber as Potter and Black. Perhaps he acted as their lookout. That could be it.

Lily wondered what kind of animals they would transfigure themselves into. They called Lupin Moony before, now she understood the context behind it. Maybe there was something to be said about the other ridiculous nicknames they gave each other. She tried to remember what James would always call Sirius. Trying to focus her mind she narrowed in on her cat still pawing at her stomach in a rhythmic pattern. The tiny claws of her feet massaging the blanket. The little beans in her paw padding happily away. Padding. Padfoot, that was it, wasn't it? Padfoot. Some pawed creature. A cat? No, she couldn't imagine Sirius transforming into a feline like McGonagall. She remembered the way Sirius would cock his head when listening to his best friends talk. Perhaps a dog? Then what would Potter be? She honestly had no idea.

Giving up the notion of sleep, Lily quietly slipped out of bed and dressed in the clothes she wore earlier that day. She stowed her wand in her cloak pocket and tiptoed quietly down the staircase. Pausing at the door, she pressed her ear against the wood to listen for the sound of talking. The cacophony of the Common Room from earlier had vanished, with only the sound of soft muffled voices whispering on the other side. Lily turned the knob and opened the door as softly as she could, bracing herself to be caught if they were just on the other side. With a sigh of relief, she saw that Sirius had his back to the door, with James and Peter flanking his sides. They seemed to be bent over something on a table. Lily risked a closer look by dashing behind one of the massive plush seats. It seemed to be a large square of parchment. She recognized it as the piece that was bunched up in James' hand earlier that day. She could just make out various square lines connecting each other. The shape looked deeply familiar. Lily remembered the tiny moving dots she had noticed earlier and tried to place them on the parchment. After staring for a moment she noticed a circular drawing at the top corner of the paper with four stationary dots inside, three in the middle and one off center. With a sudden chill on her spine she realized what she was looking at. It was a map of the castle, complete with tiny dots to represent the people inside. And there she was, right behind Potter and his friends. She could just make out the name etched under her dot, Lily Evans. Luckily, they didn't seem to be focused on their own dots in the Common Room. They were scanning the lower levels of the map. Lily assumed they were looking at the patrol routes of the professors and prefects on duty tonight.

"We're clear. Let's go." Potter's whispered voice broke the silence like a backfiring curse. Lily was so startled she had almost forgotten to stay silent, catching her gasp before it left her mouth. The boys were busy putting away their map to notice. She watched as James pulled out a massive shimmering cloak. He pulled it over their heads and disappeared, with only the soles of their shoes visible with each step. She saw the portrait door open and close by itself, and then she was alone.

It took Lily nearly five seconds to decide she was going to follow them. She successfully cast a Disillusionment Charm on herself – admiring her wandwork, as Disillusionment was a N.E.W.T. level spell – then followed the boys out of the portrait hole.

They made it down to the castle grounds without incident; Lily close on the disappearing heels of Potter and his friends. She desperately hoped that they were not still checking the map underneath the cloak, as it would not take long for them to discover her trailing behind them. _Maybe the map doesn't see through Disillusionment_ , she thought. She sincerely doubted the possibility, however. She waited at the foot of the stone steps leading out to the grounds and watched as they pulled the cloak up over their heads. This was the moment Lily had been anticipating, she was about to discover whether her theory was true…

Sirius began to change first, shrinking in stature as his hair shot out from his head and his skin. His mouth and nose grew into a snout and his ears rotated toward the top of his head. A moment later, a massive, wolf-like dog stood in his place. His fur was so dark, he blended in with the night almost perfectly. James began to transfigure himself, too. Instead of shrinking, his body began to grow and elongate. Hair emerged from his skin but not nearly as long as Sirius' and not nearly as dark. Antlers sprang from the hair covering the head of the large stag that stood in James' place. Lily looked around for Peter but he seemed to have disappeared. She wondered if he had vanished back underneath the cloak, but she caught sight of it where James left it, at the foot of a bush. _He must be an animagus too. But why can't I see him?_ Lily wondered. He must have been a small animal. Maybe a beetle, or a bird. Perhaps a mouse.

The transfigured forms of James and Sirius dashed off toward the dark and threatening silhouette of a willow tree. They stood still out of reach of its branches for a few moments, as if waiting for something. Suddenly, the branches ceased their swaying. It was as if the tree had frozen in place. The stag and dog walked over to the hole in the roots and disappeared inside.

Lily looked down at her hands and saw that the Disillusionment Charm was wearing off. She wasn't sure if she should cast it again; how long would it last? She saw the shimmering form of the cloak left under the bush with their backpack. Without another thought, she grabbed the cloak and threw it over herself, vanishing as completely as Potter did before.

She waited for a few minutes until the animals emerged again; this time with Remus the werewolf in tow. Lily was suddenly thankful that she had taken the cloak. Somehow she felt safer underneath, as if the werewolf would not be able to sniff her out. The stag, dog, and wolf bounded toward the Forbidden Forest, giving Hagrid's Hut a wide berth. Lily followed as closely as she was comfortable with.

She watched the friends play with each other, dodging between the trees as if playing tag. Sirius the dog and Remus the werewolf tackled each other playfully while occasionally giving chase to the massive deer that usually took the form of James. Lily was amazed at how friendship could transcend the barrier between species and magic as she watched them together. _They really found a way to be there for Lupin. He must have been so lonely before._ For a moment, she even forgot to hate James.

Suddenly, the werewolf tensed. Sensing the change in the atmosphere, Sirius and James moved closer together so that the three beasts formed a circle. Remus began to growl low, his teeth bared and menacing. Another form emerged from the depths of the Forest. Where Remus was lithe and well-muscled, this new figure was heavy, massive. He lumbered closer to the group, making a noise so deep, so chilling, that it took Lily a moment to realize he was laughing. He pressed his front paws deep into the dirt with every step, walking on his knuckles like a grotesquely mutated gorilla. His claws dripped with silver blood.

Remus leaped at the intruder. He snapped ferociously at the newcomer's throat, but the bigger werewolf swatted him away as if he were nothing. Sirius launched himself on the back of the wolf, slashing at his eyes with his claws and teeth, desperate to incapacitate him. The wolf flung him off, and Sirius collided into a tree and did not rise again. His face contorted in what must have been an expression of rage, James charged the werewolf next. The wolf ducked low to the ground, bracing himself as the stag's legs buckled over his solid form. Piercing James' side with his claws as the stag screamed, he tossed him to the side. After disposing of his friends, the massive wolf turned again to Remus' helpless form, still snarling. Still defiant. Lily broke through the shock that had her rooted to the spot when she realized that she is the only one that could possibly help them now. She flung off the cloak and pulled her wand out, pointing it at the bigger wolf's torso.

" _Reducto!"_ she screamed at the werewolf. Blasted back from the impact of the spell, he turned to face her. Lily braced herself for another attack, but the wolf turned on the spot and fled back into the woods. Still confused, Lily ran to the limp form of Sirius first.

" _Rennervate._ Come on. Wake up. _Rennervate!"_ Sirius started to move his head and his eyes fluttered open. Relief washed over Lily and she tossed him a cloak before moving to James. He had transfigured himself back to human, whether deliberately or out of weakness she did not know. Lily wrapped him in a cloak and began dabbing at the blood on his side when Peter stumbled onto the scene, followed by a furious Professor McGonagall.

Lily's heart faltered for a moment at the sight of her Head of House coming upon this scene, and desperately tried to think of a plausible explanation. The werewolf Lupin had run off in the opposite direction of the other wolf, and she had no idea whether McGonagall even knew about his condition.

Sirius and James seemed to be fully conscious now, and it was to them that McGonagall directed her gaze. "Explain. Now."

"Well we, uh, you know with Remus being alone on a full night, we just…" James stumbled over his words, obviously at a complete loss of what to say. Lily's mind was working fast.

"I saw Lupin on their magical map, professor. We were in the Common Room and they were showing me this map of theirs, and Remus was shown to be running through the Forbidden Forest. The map shows the location of people in the castle, you see. It's quite amazing."

McGonagall raised her eyebrows. She held out her hand for this mythical map, and James handed it to her without a word. McGonagall studied it for a solid minute before looking up at the students.

"This is remarkable, Potter. You and your friends created this? Or did you find it somewhere?"

"We created it, ma'am," James admitted.

"Well. While I admire the bravery and loyalty you demonstrated by coming to your friend's aid tonight, I hope I do not have to tell you how dangerous and foolish your actions were tonight. Not only did you break Mr. Lupin's agreement with Professor Dumbledore by bringing Miss Evans into Remus' secret, you risked her life as well as your own by confronting a grown werewolf. I will not dock points, as your courage is still a commendable trait of Gryffindor, but I shall see the three of you in detention tomorrow. Yes, you heard me right Evans, the three of you. While you are a model student and a prefect, that does not give you the privilege of disobeying the rules that we put in place. You are quite out of bounds tonight, and while Potter and Black may have a knack for troublemaking, I expected you to have a better head on your shoulders. Come, I shall escort you all back to the Common Room now. Potter, are you hurt?"

"No, professor. Just sore."

After bidding McGonagall good night, the four of them stood awkwardly in the Common Room for some time. James finally broke the silence.

"Thanks Evans. You really saved our skin back there. How did you even think of that excuse?"

"Well. I saw you use the map earlier when I was… When I was spying on you. And I figured that having your map exposed would have been a far less incriminating than exposing you as illegal animagi that have been running around the woods with a werewolf for months," Lily said.

James laughed. "Right you are. You're really not so bad, Evans."


End file.
